Glossary

4GL

Often refers to application development tools. In my case, refers specifically to the Informix 4GL programming language used for database application development. Microsoft Access is considered a 4GL tool.

Abatement

A credit granted by a municipality on a real-estate tax, water, or motor vehicle excise bill. Parking tickets may also be abated or voided. For example, if you purchase a new car and do not transfer your license plate, you have to apply for an abatement of your excise tax on the old registration (excise bill).

AMR

Automated Meter Reading refers to a number of systems that allow for the automatic or semi-automatic collection of water, electricity, or gas meter reads. http://wp.me/PoVRi-8y

Big Thought Thinker

A big though thinker is a person who postulates, theorizes, or proposes an idea, but never follows through.

BTT

See Big Thought Thinker.

C

A computer programming language invented by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Richie in the 1970s.

Despite its name, this is a tax bill for the personal property belonging to a business. For an office, a copier is considered personal property. For a restaurant, your stove is considered personal property.

This is a property tax bill (real estate) which can be for residential, commercial, or mixed-use, that is a building zoned for both commercial and residential use.

System Integratiation

Involves creating a data pipe or conduit between two applications or systems. For example if one application issues and prints parking tickets and other keeps track of them, a conduit exists to upload parking ticket data into the administrative system.

Warrant

In the municipal billing world, refers to one of the stages of an overdue motor vehicle excise tax bill.